Americas

US campus gunman was a student

Police investigating whether killer acted on his own during university rampage.

17 Apr 2007 12:39 GMT

Students have criticised campus police for failing to warn them after the first shooting [EPA]

Campus rampage

Two people were shot dead in a university dormitory in the town of Blacksburg early on Monday morning before another 30 people were killed when a gunman rampaged through a classroom building across campus two hours later.

Police said they were still investigating the shooting at the dormitory when they got word of gunfire at the second building.

They arrived to find the doors to the building chained shut from the inside. They forced their way in and followed the sound of gunshots to the second floor where they found that the attacker had killed himself.

Steger said the attacks were "two very tragic events" that "may or may not" be related.

"We just don't know at this point in time."

The Chicago Sun Times newspaper cited an unnamed official source as saying that authorities were investigating whether the gunman was a Chinese man who arrived to the US last August on a student visa issued in Shanghai.

Witnesses described him as Asian, wearing a brown hiking shirt and black combat-style vest.

'Kept in the dark'

Students said there had been no public-address announcements or other warnings on campus after the first attack until an email was sent around the time of the second shooting.